Attachment-plug receptacle



A. C. GAYNOR ATTACHMENT PLUG RECEPTAGLE Oct. 26,1926. 1,604,818

Filed March 22. 1922 Patented Oct. 26, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ear-nun c. GAYITOB, or s-rna'rronn, comcrrcur.

ATTAOmHT-PLUG ancnrrncnn.

Application ma n w; 2:, 1922. was in. 545,712.

This invention relates to an electric attachment plug receptacle and, more particularly to a receptacle adapted to receive attachment plugs having jacks or blades in different 6 relative positions.

Receptaclesof this kind have been commonly' madeof a block :of porcelain or other insulating material, usually formed of a number of pieces or sections, in wh ch 10 contact blades or leaves of the receptacle are mounted. The blades and conductor parts are usually attached by means of screws passing through the bottom of the block and having their exposed ends covered by a suitable wax and the main art of the conductor is embedded or concea ed within the body of the insulating block. Constructions of this type require the use of a number of conductor parts and the presence of a corre-:

spondin number of joints between the contact bla es or leaves and the binding terminals, giving rise to a corresponding danger of fires through separation of the joints and arcing, and, moreover, requires the use of a comparatively thick bloclr, which is a disadvantage in devices of this t pe. The use of a large number of arts a so' lessens the stability and increases t e cost of the article.

An object of the present invention 18 to provide an attachment plu rece tacle having an integral conductor rom e inserted blade of a plug to the external circuit.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment plug receptacle having no connections or structural metal pieces or parts coming through the bottom of the body of insulating material.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attachment plug receptacle in which the use of screws or bolts for holding the parts of the receptacle together is avoided.

Further objects of the invention are to provide an attachment lug receptacle adapt ed to take lugs havmg'either tandem or a parallel blades or jacks, and to provide a contact on both sides of the blades, to provide a, receptacle havingthe various parts joined or fastened together by means of 50 rivets or s un eyelets, to provide a very thin or shallow receptacle, and to provide a receptacle which is simple and cheap to manufacture andof pleasing appearance.

With these and other objects in view, the

invention comprises'the receptacle described and set forth in the following specification and claims. The various features of" the invention are illustrated in the acbompanying drawings, in which: i v a Fig. l'is a sectional view of a metal box, a door plate and a receptacle embodying a preferred form of the invention.

F1g. 2 1s a plan view of the receptacle with the door plate removed, the position and form of a cover member dotted lines, Fug. 3 1s atop plan view of the cover piece indicated in d t'ted lines in Fig. 2, F g. 4 1s a vertical-section of the receptacle cover, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a contact piece or member of the receptacle.

In the present invention the contact plates .Which receive and contact with the inserted blade of the plug, and the conductors leading to the binding terminals to which the external circuit is attached are made integrally of sin le pieces of metal. These metallic plates ave a blade receiving portion adapted to be positioned in a recess of a block of insulating material and to receive blades or jacks arranged in tandem or in parallel on a plug, and an integral conductor portion extending from the blade receiving portions and attached on the upper face of being indicated in the block b. means of tubular rivets which are' partial y embedded or molded in the] block and have a projecting end turned over the-metallic plate. The inner surface of the tubular rivets is threaded to receive a screw which attaches or clamps a wire or terminal of the external circuit to the surface .of the member. A cover late of insulating material having slots or the insertion of the blades of the plug is mounted on the block of insulatin material so as to cover all of the contact p ates except the portion through which the rivet is passed and the blade receiving portions immediately below the slots.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, a pair of contact plates 10 and 12 are mounted on a block of insulating material 14 which is suitably recessed'to permit the plates to be held in position to receive the blades of an attachment plug. The plates are similar in form and are firmly and permanently attached to the block of insulating material 14 near the end of a flat portion 16 of the plates by means of a tubular rivet 18 embedded or molded in the block and having a projecting end which projects through an opening 19 in the portion 16 and is turned over or clinched to retain the plate. The plates are symmetrically arranged in reversed position in slight recesses 20 in the block 14 and are preferably countersunk or depressed around the opening 19 to permit the head or clinched portion of the rivet 18 to be'flush with the upper surface of the plate and provide a better terminal surface for the attachment of the external circuit leads.

The contact ortion of the plates for receiving the bla es of the plug are formed integrallywith the flat or terminal portion by bending the plate to form depending clips or double contact plates 22 and 24 arranged at an angle to each other and extending into a deeper'recess 26 in the block 14. The relation of the clips 22 and 24 is such that when the plates arein their proper position on the block the clips members 22 of the pairof plates are parallel and adapted to receive plug blades arranged in parallel and the clips 24 are in alignment and adapted to receive blades arranged in tandem.

The clip portion 22 may be conveniently formed by bending an extension of the plate downwardly on a line 28 to form a flat surface 30 at substantially a right angle to the flatportion of the plate. then about a curved or bight portion 32 and upwardly to form a surface 34 substantially parallelto the surface 30. The bight portion 32 has a spring effect and holds the surfaces resiliently in position to press and frictionally engage the o posite sides of the inserted blade of the -p ug, thereby complying with the requirements of the underwriters, and the surface 34 is provided with an out turned lip 36 to guide the blade into the entrance to the clip.

The clip member 24 is convenient formed by bending a sidewise extending portion of the plateportion 30 about the vertical line 38 to the required angle to form a vertical contact surface 40 and then bending an extending portion of this face about a circular portion'or bight 42 and upwardly to form a face 44 substantially parallel to the surface 40, the lower portion of the plate being slit or bifurcated to permit it to be bent. The upper edge of this surface is bent outwardly to form a. lip 46 to guide the blade of the plug into the mouth of the clip as it is being inserted. The clips 24 of the plates are also adapted to enga e both sides of the blades arranged in para] el on the at tachment plug.

The cli s or double contact members may be forme in other manners, the form and position of the loops, joining at an angle permitting the bending of the plate in'a variety of different manners, but, in each case the clips and the flat or terminal portions of the plates are formed integrally and form a unitary conductor without joints, from the inserted blade of the plug to the terminal portion to which the leads of the external circuit are attached. The terminals of the ex-- ternal circuit may be attached by threading the inner surface of the rivets 18 to receive a terminal screw 48 having a flat head 50 to clamp the terminals of the external circuit to the surface of the contact plates.

The contact plates are covered, except for a portion around the rivets 18, by means of a cover of insulating material 52 which occupies the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and provided with angularly shaped openings 54 and 56 arranged to be positioned over the loops 22 and 24 and permit the insertion of blades arranged in parallel or in tandem. The cover is secured to the block 14 by means of rivets 58 partially embedded in the block and projecting into holes or openings 60 in the cover, the holes 60 being countersunk as at 62 and the rivets turned over to clinch in the countersunk portion to grip the cover and permit a smooth surface to be formed. The outer surface of the cover is preferably given a matt finish as indicated in the drawings, it being found that such a finish is satisfactory and is cheaper and is less troublesome to the eyes than a polished surface.

Wings 64 are mounted on the upper surface of the body of insulating material 14 and fastened to the body by rivets 66 partly embedded in the body. The wings are perforated at 68 and 70 to receive screws for attachment to a box 72 and for the attachment of a door plate 74.

The body of insulating material may be made of any suitable moldable material; In embedding the rivets into the body 14 none of these rivets are permitted to reach or extend through the bottom of the block so that no concealing wax is required and a very sturdy, compact and strongly united structure is formed. There being no screws employed in the device, other than the terminal screws, there is no opportunity for the various parts of the structure to work loose or come apart. The peculiar structure of the invention also permits a very thin or shallow receptacle to be made, receptacles of less than one inch in thickness being possible with this structure. There being but very few and simply constructed parts enables the device to be very cheaply constructed and in addition it has the advantage of direct and unitary electrical connections.

Having described the invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patsub having recesses in its upper surface, a pair of contact members each comprising a metal strip bent to form a horizontal ortion mounted in ,the upper surfaceof the insulating block, a portion bent downwardly into its respective recess and then upwardly therein in spaced parallel position to the downwardly bent portion to form a double contact clip therewith, and a portion bent sidewise from said downwardly bent portion and at an angle thereto and formed into a clip member integral with said first mentioned clip member, said clip members being adapted to receive'contact blades arrange in parallel or in tandem.

2. A contact membenghich comprises, a metal plate bent to form a horizontal portion and a depending portion, said depending portion being bent about a vertical axis to form a pair of integral depending portions at an angle to each other, and each of said depending portions being bent about horizontal axes to form portions extending upwardly from said axes in s aced parallel relation to their downwardly epending portions and forming upwardly opening clips therewith.

3. A device of the type described which comprises, a block of insulating material aving recesses in its upper surface, a pair of contact members each comprising a metal strip bent to form a horizontal portion, mounted in the upper surface of the insulating block, a portion bent downwardly into its respective recess and bent to lie in two planes at an angle to each other and to said horizontal portion and portions bent upwardly to the downwardly bent portions in each of said lanes and, spaced therefrom to form upwar y opening clips, said contact members being arranged to receive contact blades arranged in parallel or in tandem and a cover block having a pair of openin s, said openings being angular in shape an overlying the clips of their respective contact members. w

4. A device of the kind described which comprises, a block of insulating material recessed to receive contact members, contact members mounted in said recesses and a cover fastened to said block by rivets embedded in said block and clinched on said cover, said contact members extending out from under said cover to provide a binding surface for attaching lead wires.

5. A device of the kind described which comprises, a block of insulating material recessed to receive contact members, contact members mounted in said recesses'and attached to said block by rivets embedded in said block and clinched on said members and a cover attached to said block by rivets embedded in said block, said contact members extending out from under said cover to provide a bindingsurface for attaching lead wires.

6. A device" of the kind described which comprises, a block of insulating material, contact members mounted on said block and a cover for said members riveted to said block and having a matted upper surface, said contact members extending out from under said cover to provide a binding surface for attaching lead wires.

7. A contact member which comprises a metal plate, having one end portion thereof bent to form two separate and independent spring clip contacts, each clip contact comprising bent members to receive a contact lade therebetween, each of said clip contacts being situated in a different plane, each of said planes being substantially at right angles to the plane of said plate, and also being at right angles to each other. In witness whereof I have hereunto set no hand at Bridge ort, county of Fairfiel State of Conn, t is 17 day of March, 1922.

ARTHUR C. GAYN OR. 

